"Don't bother hiding your strength, young'un. I know that you don't rely have three Suns."
Alrock cheerfully chided the youngster as he took his duelling position. Dreading the inevitable, Amon sighed heavily, drawing his new sword from its hilt. Since there was no way out of this situation, Amon could only play to Alrock's tune.
Mana circulated within his body, and the blood flow within Amon accelerated. Alrock firmly believed that Amon had four Suns condensed, so the young Solaris Knight had to be careful not to overdo it. If he lost control of his concentration for a split second, there was a chance that he would accidentally allow his mana to overflow, essentially revealing that he had Six Suns condensed.
Amon ntally thanked Yue for forcing him to let loose and training him to control his newfound strength. Over the past five months, even though they had been hunting Greater Demons and the Demon Cult, it didn't an that Amon or Yue slacked on their training.
They trained far better in many ways, as they didn't have to hide their true abilities.
Hence, even when facing the strongest Solaris Knight alive, Amon wasn't worried about accidentally revealing all his cards.
Four Suns orbited around Amon like satellites, all while Amon's blade turned red-hot from the increasing heat. Gravity was negated as rocks began to levitate around the man, and mana overflowed from his vessel. Amon's golden eyes shimred spectacularly as he directed his gaze at the man standing ten tres away.
"... pardon ."
Amon knew that Alrock was giving him the first blow, and he wasn't going to throw away this opportunity. Directing the tip of his blade directly at the Solaris Lord, he unleashed the Solaris Mystic Art form, in which he had the highest mastery.
[Dawn]
Almost instantly, the Sun rose from Amon's feet, creating an illusion that daybreak had co even though it was still deep into the night. The imnse energy generated from Amon's attack was enough to siege castle walls and lt entire glaciers. And all of that violence was being directed onto the body of one man.
Alrock whistled at the searing Sun and readied his body for impact. His muscles tightened, ripping away his intricately embroidered shirt in an instant, revealing the shocking truth. Even though the man was literally a grandfather, Alrock's body was chiselled beyond belief. Not an ounce of fat laid inside that heap of muscle mass.
Broad-chested and eight-packed, Alrock would put any body-builders to sha. If there was a sculpture of a perfect warrior's body, it would be of Alrock's. The Solaris Lord's skin turned red and veins began to pop. Flexing with every bit of power he had, the man showcased what it was like being at the apex of the mighty Solaris House with one single move.
Amon's first strike, the attack that he used most often and was the proudest of, had dissipated into nothingness. The change was so rapid that Amon couldn't even register it in his mind. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, he gawked at the space between Alrock and himself.
'... he negated my attack? With what???'
If there was one thing that Amon was confident of, it was his senses. All this ti, he had relied on his superhuman senses to identify changes in natural phenona. Be it listening to a conversation a dozen miles away or analysing his opponents' attacks in slow motion. Amon's senses were his bread and butter.
And yet... He couldn't even identify what Alrock did or react to it.
'Let try again.'
Initially, Amon ca into the duel with an indifferent attitude and just wanted to get it over and done. However, as he faced Alrock head-on for the first ti, an unknown kindling ignited in his iron heart. Unknowingly, a slight smile cracked open Amon's lips as he converted his stance.
There was no indication that Alrock would launch a counterattack as he stood still with his arms folded. It was probably Amon's imagination, but he thought he saw Alrock smiling. Nevertheless, Amon churned out whatever mana he could from the four Suns he revealed and unleashed his next two moves.
A grand illusory phantasma of a palace descended onto the serene garden. At the sa ti, Amon summoned a Sun once again and soared to the skies. Heat and light ruled the heavens at that mont, and Amon directed his sword downwards with one target in mind.
And like a falling cot, Amon...
"Hoh? Solstice Sanctuary and Heaven's Fall? I see you've been training hard."
Impressed by what Amon had shown, the Solaris Lord couldn't help but laugh. Solstice Sanctuary was an ability that enhanced the user's overall capabilities, and Heaven's Fall was one of the most destructive skills in the Solaris House's arsenal. By using them both in succession, even Alrock couldn't underestimate the destructive capabilities Amon's next strike may have.
"BUT!!! It's still too weak!!!"
Alrock turned his body around and dropped his fist to his waist. It was a simple movent, and it seed no mana was being used. However, Amon's back started to sweat, and his sixth sense was screaming at him to evade whatever was coming next. Sure enough...
"HARGH!!!"
The Solaris Lord roared and sent his fist flying at ungodly speeds. Amon couldn't even see his arm extend before the aftershock blew away his attack and shattered his Solstice Sanctuary. Sent flying back like a kite with its string cut, Amon fell almost a kilotre away from Alrock. By the ti Amon regained his wits, he found half of his body was covered with abrasions. Internally, it wasn't much better. Multiple bones were fractured, and his muscles were screaming with agony.
'Even with my body coated with Aura and strengthened by the Golden Dragon's Progenitor's blessing, I still received this much damage from one punch?'
Amon cursed inwardly.
Alrock's movents were fast, but unlike the first ti, Amon could fully comprehend what the Solaris Lord did to negate his attack. All he did...
... was a simple punch.
'If the shockwave from his punch is already this strong, I can't imagine what it would be like to get hit by it directly!'
Amon channelled his mana imdiately and used the Nine Suns Heart Mantra to heal his injuries. Fortunately, they were considered light by his standards and in less than a minute, his body was as good as new. All this while, Alrock didn't launch another strike. The Solaris Lord slowly approached Amon as if taking an evening stroll.
Evidently, the duel wasn't going to end here.
'If power doesn't work, then let's try speed!'
Ever the adapter, Amon instantly switched tactics. Mana flowed to his feet, allowing Amon to move at speeds beyond human reactions. Four Suns orbited Amon's legs, and eventually, the man moved as if he were defying gravity. Leaping from place to place, Amon unveiled his mastery in yet another Solaris Mystic Art.
One second, Amon would be levitating in the air; the next, he would be grounded on the floor. The mixture of haphazard movents left behind balls of light, imitating a starry trail through the Milky Way.
"Stellar Waltz? At this mastery? Young'un, you continue to amaze !"
If it weren't for the circumstances, Alrock would have broken into applause.
Amon ignored Alrock's blatant praise and channelled all his energy to completing his move set. He closed the one-kilotre distance in the blink of an eye, and his sword was now inches away from piercing Alrock's chest. However, the veteran Solaris Knight would have easily dodged such an obvious strike, so Amon added a little twist at the end.
The mont he stepped in front of Alrock, Amon feigned that he would slash the massive man's chest. And just as he could see Alrock's body move just a slight millitre, he used Stellar Waltz again, this ti appearing as if teleported behind the Solaris Lord.
For the first ti in the duel, Alrock's eyes reflected shock.
And that shock turned into a vastly slower reaction ti. Amon's sword was already re centitres from slicing the Solaris Lord's arm cleanly away from his body. Vast amounts of Aura poured into the tip of Amon's blade as he swung with everything he had.
However...
Clink!
Amon's sword rested firmly on Alrock's shoulder like it had hit a diamond ore. The blade wasn't even able to pierce his skin, let alone draw blood. The result dampened Amon's fighting spirit as he was ntally spent. Although Amon used only four Suns worth of mana, all his techniques were at their highest mastery. Yet, even with all that, he could not cut Alrock's body.
That result demoralised Amon a little.
Alrock and Amon froze for a good millisecond before the Solaris Lord finally ca to his wits. His golden eyes shimred with pure glee, and his large mouth expanded into a booming laugh.
"HA! HA! HA! GOOD ONE, YOUNG'UN!!! Now, let return the favour!!!"
The Pinnacle Knight turned his body around rapidly and ca face-to-face with Amon. Still in a vulnerable position, Amon sought to extend the distance and avoid Alrock's coming blow. However, he was just a tad too late.
BOOOMMM!!!
Amon was sent flying by Alrock's punch and crashed violently into the deep pond. Compared to the two punches Alrock threw before, the one that hit Amon was nothing more than a love tap. However, that attack was enough to break his defences and draw blood. Suffering from more severe injuries than before, Amon floated up to the surface of the pond, almost motionless.
At this point, he was beyond exhausted.
The Nine Suns Heart Mantra worked subconsciously to heal his wounds, but Amon didn't care. Floating alone in the pond, he blankly stared at the sky and cast his thoughts onto the Moon.
'Even if I had used all Six Suns worth of mana... Would I be able to defeat him?'
Amon thought to himself. It was a simple question, so he got a simple answer.
'No, he's still too far away.'
Once again, the young Solaris Knight was amazed at his Lord's individual strength. The amount of mana used was inconsequential. Just by training his body to the absolute limits, Alrock has transcended the boundaries of any regular mortal. His body was a fortress, and hardly anything could penetrate his defences. Not only that, Alrock had yet to use his trump cards.
'The only chance I have of beating him is combining my Solar and Lunar mana. And even then, I can't guarantee a win.'
There weren't many words to convey Amon's disappointnt. He had been training tirelessly for over eight years, yet he hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of the world's most powerful beings. And if beings like Alrock still perished during the upcoming Calamities, it could only an one thing.
'I still have to grow stronger.'
However, on the other side of the pond, the person responsible for Amon's despair didn't share the sa views.
'My god! What a monster!!!'
Alrock didn't show it, but inwardly, he was panicking. His heart rate accelerated, and his face was flushed. It was hard to hide his emotions, which was why he blew Amon far away. He couldn't let the boy see his agitated state.
'How old is that young'un? Eighteen? And he's capable of using all those Solaris Mystic Arts to that mastery? He fights like a veteran with forty years of experience! What is going on?!'
Alrock could count the number of tis his heart rate spiked this high. Unknowingly, his right hand touched the base of his neck where Amon's final attack struck, and...
There was a searing pain hidden underneath his thick hide and defences.
'When was the last ti I was injured in a duel? Twenty years ago?'
On the surface, it seed that Alrock was completely unhard. But the reality was far from the case. His blood flow had stagnated, and the Solar mana, which never once failed to heal his wounds, showed signs of atrophy. It felt like Alrock's superior physique and constitution were negated against Amon's deadly blow.
Of course, the only reason why Alrock felt this way was because Yval, the Golden Dragon Progenitor, directly blessed Amon as compared to his whittled-down bloodline. Their mana quality was on a different scale, and if gone head-to-head, Amon's would win ten tis out of ten. But Alrock didn't know that.
All the Solaris Lord could feel... was fear of the youngster's potential.
'If he is this strong now, just how powerful would he beco in ten, twenty years?!'
For the first ti in decades, Alrock felt a sense of adventure, a sense of responsibility to cultivate this young talent, and, most importantly, a blissful joy that he'd found a suitable disciple.
'I must take him as my disciple! HA! HA! HA! Who would have thought this generation would give birth to two super prodigies?!'
The word prodigy was a term that could be easily tossed around. However, Alrock's standard for a genius was far stricter than what the layn thought. He'd seen multiple so-called prodigies rise and fall. He fought with many of them; he was also considered sowhat of a prodigy in the past.
But in Alrock's honest opinion, only a few individuals he'd t in his life deserved that title.
The Sword Saint, Alrock's eternal rival. Despite having a regular human body, he trained his swordsmanship and Aura to an ungodly level, becoming more powerful than the Solaris Lord himself.
Alrock's own child, Lucas Solaris. Talented beyond belief, he graduated from the Knight's Academy in record ti and absorbed everything Alrock taught him like a sponge. If he remained in the Solaris House, Alrock was confident that Lucas would surpass him and reign as the next Solaris Lord.
And finally, Yue Elune, Amon's betrothed. Being close friends with her grandfather, Yugor Elune, Alrock knew how difficult the Elune House's spells were. Yet, Yue mastered them before twenty and even contracted with Monarch Spirits.
All of them had unique talents and would tower over their peers.
And, of course, his grandson Leon was among those in that conversation. With his unique constitution, Leon had the potential to beco the most powerful Solaris mber in history, and not only that, but his talent in learning rivalled that of his father.
If anything, Alrock thought that Leon would carry this generation's torch.
Oh, how wrong he was...
'My God!!! I'm lucky I haven't married him off to the Elune House yet! If this young'un leaves, the Solaris House will lose a major asset!!!'
Instantly, the Solaris Lord went into panic mode. All of his attention was now focused on the youth floating in the middle of the pond. With stars for eyes, Alrock zood in on Amon like a lion watching its prey.
'Why is it suddenly so cold?'
And Amon felt an electrifying chill on his back.
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